Teacher Metacognition

Test yourself

Teacher Metacognition

Let's see what evidence says about how teachers think about thinking.

Teachers’ thinking about thinking

Have you ever heard someone say something like “teaching well is basically a matter of common sense?”.
This statement implies that we can know how to teach well or badly without referring to any expertise or training.
This is only true if teachers can think accurately about the learning process.
However, there is quite a lot of evidence that teachers’ thinking about learning can be biased and inaccurate at times.

Myths

Howard-Jones (2014) ran a survey with teachers to investigate the popularity of myths about learning.
- The idea that learners can be categorised according to their ‘learning styles’ was endorsed by 93% in the UK.
- The idea that learners can be categorised as left-brained or right-brained was endorsed by 91% of British teachers in the same survey.
Both of these ideas are almost universally rejected as myths by psychologists and neuroscientists.

Myths

The fact that teachers sometimes endorse myths about learning suggests that accurate metacognition can’t be taken for granted.
Teachers’ choices and assumptions about learning can be improved via professional learning and by referring to research evidence.

Thinking like an expert

Researchers know that experts think differently. Experts notice patterns and automatically analyse situations in a way that novices do not, thanks to their deep understanding.
- Experienced teachers show this expertise in their classroom practice.
However, years of experience do not automatically lead to improvement. Instead, it is important to gain feedback, and to focus practice on specific targets.
- This is known as ‘deliberate practice’.

Experience is not enough

Experience is also not enough to tackle learning myths. According to a study of 146 university teachers conducted by Morehead, Rhodes and DeLozier (2016), endorsement of myths does not correlate with years of classroom experience.
Together, these points suggest that the metacognition of highly skilled teachers is supported by deeply interlinked knowledge and experience.
Experience alone is not enough.

Teachers regularly think about their students’ abilities. This is a form of teacher metacognition. However, teachers’ assumptions can be flawed and it is useful to examine your own thinking on this area.

Biased by labels

A classic study by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1966) randomly labeled a small percentage of children as ‘bloomers’, with teachers being told that these pupils would progress quickly according to (faked) IQ tests.
The children in this group did indeed do better – perhaps because teachers have higher expectations of those who are labelled as very able.

Biased by labels cont...

Rather like their students, teachers may have either a fixed or a growth mindset in terms of how they think about skill and ability levels.
It is likely to be more helpful if your beliefs and language about ability emphasise the role of learning, and that you avoid labeling some learners as naturally able and others as weak.

Professional reflection

We are often told to reflect on our own practice, but how easy is it to do this successfully?
Based on what you have just learned, you can see that reflection involves a lot of metacognition. You will be reflecting on multiple cognitive processes, such as your own decisions, plans, and the students’ learning.

Professional reflection cont...

However, psychologists know that memory is flawed and biased.
- For example, research into eyewitnesses to crimes has shown that people misremember according to their assumptions, and miss out key details.
It’s therefore likely that teachers misremember lessons. It’s going to be harder to reflect on something if you can’t remember it!
Even where lessons are remembered accurately, reflections are likely to be subject to bias.

Improving professional reflection

If feasible, the issue of misremembering lessons could be tackled by recording lessons, or by asking a peer to watch your lesson and take notes.
Focus on a very specific issue, such as timings, or clarity of spoken instructions. An entire class is just too complex.
Refer to research evidence, rather than relying on intuition alone. Read up on the specific issue or skill that you want to work on.

Improving professional reflection cont...

Your responses could be written after a delay so that any emotional reactions that might lead to bias have faded somewhat.
Be constructive with your reflection. Anyone can find fault, but likewise, nearly any aspect of professional practice can improve.
When reflecting on learning processes, ensure that your ideas are in line with research evidence about how learning works.

Well done!

Thank you for completing our CPD course. We hope you've enjoyed it and that it has given you some ideas for your own classroom.

1Basic Concepts About Metacognition

1.1Thinking About Thinking

1.1.1Metacognition & Metamemory

2Practical Implications for Learners

2.1Practical Implications for Learners

2.1.1Planning & Learning Strategies

2.1.2Beliefs & Self-estimates

3Areas of Metacognition

3.1Areas of Metacognition

3.1.1Metacognitive Knowledge

3.1.2Metacognitive Monitoring

3.1.3Metacognitive Control

4Teacher Metacognition

4.1Teacher Metacognition

4.1.1Teacher Metacognition

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